Charlotte marks Lynx LRT extension start

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) scheduled a groundbreaking ceremony today, July 18, 2013, to mark the start of extending Lynx light rail transit 9.7 miles to the University of North Carolina-Charlotte campus.

The extension will be the first addition to the initial 9.6-mile CATS LRT line, also known as the CATS Blue Line, which opened in November 2007, and comes shortly after the city resolved a dispute over a similar streetcar extension issue. The initial 1.5-mile, $37 million starter streetcar line, recently relabeled the CityLynx Gold Line, is under construction.

Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff was among those scheduled to speak. FTA funding will provide roughly half of the $1.16 billion cost of the extension.

Joining Rogoff were North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory and Charlotte Mayor Patsy Kinsey, who assumed office July 1 following the confirmation late last month of former Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx as U.S. Transportation Secretary.